Charlotte Knights 7, Nashville Sounds 3
One big inning is all it took for Charlotte (58-68) to nail this one down. The third frame saw six Knights cross the plate. A two-run blast from Jacob Amaya and a Dominic Fletcher grand slam drove this contest home. They tacked on an insurance run in the sixth, cashing in on a miscue by Andrew Vaughn’s soon-to-be replacement, Rhys Hoskins, who is on a rehabilitation assignment for the Brewers.
Each of the Knights’ three pitchers gave up one run. He Who Must Not Be Named is still somehow employed by this franchise and picked up the win after allowing one run on three hits, with three walks and seven Ks over five frames. Dan Altavilla, who is also working his way back from an injury, handled an inning. Bryse Wilson, demoted from the big league club in the middle of June, finished out the game with three innings of one-run ball, giving up just one hit and one walk while fanning two.
Knoxville Smokies 6, Birmingham Barons 2
The offense was sparse for the Barons (73-48) as they dropped their second straight, evening out at 5-5 over their last ten games. The offense scratched out just two tallies on the night, both coming in the bottom of the second, with back-to-back doubles by Braden Montgomery and Caden Connor, and a clutch single by Calvin Harris. Montgomery has been killing it in August for the Barons, slashing .342/.432/.526 with 11 doubles and eight RBIs. With the season winding down, let’s see what the kid can do against tougher competition in Triple-A. The 22-year-old has advanced successfully through every level of Chicago’s minors so far. Give the youngster the challenge and see if he can rise to the occasion.
Starter Connor McCullough took the L, yielding five runs on four hits over four innings. Jake Palisch allowed the only other Smokies run. Jared Kelley and Caleb Freeman were solid, teaming up for 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Winston-Salem Dash 7, Rome Emperors 0
This contest was never in doubt as the Dash (50-69) cruised to a commanding 7-0 win. Both the bats and arms were firing, with the offense erupting for three runs in both the second and third innings. Caleb Bonemer, fresh off his promotion from Kannapolis, wasted no time making an impact for Winston-Salem. He went 2-for-3, ripped a run-scoring double in the third, and jumpstarted the fifth with a leadoff triple. Alec Makarewicz also piled on with a 3-for-4 night, lacing a pair of two-baggers.
Starter Christian Oppor set the tone early, hurling four shutout innings and scattering just two hits while striking out five. The bullpen of Morris Austin, Jarold Rosado, Aric McAtee, and Phil Fox took over from there, shutting out the Emperors over the final five frames and giving up only two more hits.
Kannapolis Cannon Ballers 9, Salem Red Sox 4
Kannapolis (56-65) came out on top easily in this one, hammering out four doubles and a homer, on their way to a 9-4 rout of the Salem Red Sox. The Ballers’ offense did their damage early, piling on six tallies in the first two frames. In the bottom of the second, Kanny plated four runs on five straight singles and a sacrifice fly. The big blast, though, came in the bottom of the eighth when Nathan Archer cranked out a two-run shot, providing just a bit more breathing room.
The Ballers’ arms didn’t quite match the fireworks at the plate. After spinning five strong frames in his last start, Ricardo Brizuela ran into trouble, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk over three innings, though he did fan five. Reliever Gabriel Rodríguez had to grind through his 2 1/3 innings, fighting his command and yielding two more runs on three hits and three walks. But the rest of the bullpen came through, as Liam Paddack, Jake Peppers, and Jesús Méndez combined for 3 and 2/3 shutout innings to close it out.
